10 July 2017 (The Siberian Times) – New analysis by satellite and helicopter shows gas pipelines run right over swelling tundra which is deeply unstable due to the release of underground methane that had been frozen in permafrost - now thawing - for thousands of years, revealed Russia's leading expert on the new phenomenon, Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky.

In one recent explosion, permafrost soil was thrown around 1 kilometre from the epicentre of the blast, highlighting the huge force, scientists discovered.

Flames shot into the sky, and a 50 metre-deep crater was formed from the eruption.

The process is seen as caused by the warming Arctic climate and has vast implications for the energy industry in polar regions.

Gas from Yamal is crucial to both Russia and the European energy system, with exports in particular to Poland and Germany.

Some 7,000 pingos - scientific name hydrolaccoliths - have been identified in Yamal, and one estimate is that some 700 of these mounds could be prone to eruptions.

Most are harmless but the difficulty for experts is identifying which are dangerous.

'In a number of areas pingos - we see both from satellite data with own eyes during helicopter inspections - they literally prop up gas pipes,' said the professor. [more]